


His Worst Fears

by idontevenknowugh



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Established Relationship, M/M, Papby, Thoughts of character death, Undertale Neutral Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 09:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15927170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idontevenknowugh/pseuds/idontevenknowugh
Summary: The night is cold and dark. Rumors are spreading. And Grillby doesn’t know where Papyrus is.





	His Worst Fears

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SesuRescue (Kigachan)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kigachan/gifts).



“YOU HAVE REACHED THE GREAT PAPYRUS’S PHONE. IF YOU ARE AN ADMIRER, LEAVE ME A MESSAGE AND I WILL RETURN YOUR ADMIRATION LATER. IF YOU ARE A FRIEND, LEAVE ME A MESSAGE AND I WILL GET BACK TO YOU SOON. IF YOU ARE A HUMAN LOOKING TO TURN THEMSELVES IN, PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EXACT LOCATION. IF YOU ARE SANS, PICK UP YOUR SOCK! IF YOU ARE…”  
  
Papyrus’s far too long voicemail greeting rambled on. Grillby had always found it endearing, but today he tapped his foot impatiently.  
  
The mood in the bar was tense. A few regulars were scattered about in pairs. Whispers permeated the air, almost seeming to thickening it. He tried not to listen to them and focus on Papyrus’s voice instead.  
  
Finally, the phone beeped, signaling an end to one wait.  
  
“Hey, Papyrus. It’s Grillby,” he said softly, feeling self conscious, suddenly. “There’s been some strange things going on. Monster missing, rumors going around… Could you call me?” He smiled to himself and leaned against the bar. “I know a cool monster like you can take care of yourself, but… I’d still like to hear your voice.” He paused for a long moment, composing himself so his voice wouldn’t shake. “Love you.”  
  
Grillby’s phone closed with a snap. Why hadn’t Papyrus picked up? He was always ready to take incoming calls, hoping that they would be new friends.  
  
Shaking his head, Grillby started wiping down the bar. He was being silly. There were all kinds of things Papyrus could be doing that would keep him from taking the call. The skeleton was always rushing around doing something with that endless energy of his. He was probably off training, or cleaning the house. He hadn’t even heard the phone ring, but when he saw the message, he would call back.  
  
The door opened, making the bell above it ring. Grillby’s head snapped up, hopeful. Of course, it wasn’t Papyrus. A couple of snowdrakes hurried in and shut the door after themselves before walking up to the bar.  
  
“Grillby!”  
  
“Did you hear?”  
  
“The forest-!”  
  
“I heard there was-”  
  
“- can’t find Ice Cap!”  
  
“It couldn’t be, could it?”  
  
“But what if it is?”  
  
“-a human!”  
  
Grillby listened to them with a sinking soul. Another missing monster. If there was a human here in the underground, then they were all in danger. He had seen what they could do. Though those were old memories, faded by time, they still made him shiver. Even worse, if there was truly a human then Papyrus would be out looking for them.  
  
“I heard,” he replied absently and untied his apron. He couldn’t stay here. He had to go look.  
  
Grillby didn’t even bother closing the bar. He trusted the residents to behave. Once he was outside, he looked to the left and right, wondering which way to go. To his left was Papyrus’s house. To his right was the forest and the supposed human.  
  
He opened his phone as he turned right, walking towards the forest with long, purposeful strides. Sans’s number was saved right below Papyrus’s. He selected it and put the phone to his head. It rang and rang, and when it picked up, Sans’s voice low and lazy in direct contrast to his brother’s bright energy.  
  
“it’s sans.” The phone beeped, Sans’s greeting ending before Grillby could even open his mouth to accidentally talk to the recording. He paused to regather his thoughts.  
  
“Um, Sans, it’s Grillby. I’m trying to get ahold of Papyrus. Could you give me a call back?” He hung up and shoved his phone into his pants pocket. Surely Sans couldn’t have run afoul of the human. That would require some amount of effort. Maybe he was with Papyrus, but they were busy… doing something!  
  
Grillby walked faster, wondering where in the forest he should look first. It felt eerily quiet, even though there was no reason it should be all that loud, right? No one was out here fighting. There wasn't actually a human…  
  
He crossed the bridge and entered the forest proper before spotting movement ahead of him. He rushed forward. Whoever it was was certainly very active. That could be good, given that Papyrus was very active, but it could also be very bad.  
  
It was neither. Greater Dog turned and looked at Grillby with a wag of his tail. Grillby slowed, both disappointed and relieved.  
  
“Have you seen Papyrus?” He asked, not even really pausing, just slowing down. Greater dog barked once and pointed deeper into the forest. Grillby nodded and hurried on. At least he was on the right track.  
  
Soul pounding and fire dim in the face of the cold weather, Grillby pressed on. He went faster, knowing that Papyrus was in front of him.  
  
An odd smell made him falter, his steps trailing to a stop. He knew that smell. He dreamed it, when he had nightmares.  
  
“No…” Grillby scanned the ground. He found a discolored spot- or was that just a shadow? A few long strides brought him over to it. “It can’t be…” He knew better, however. A small pile of dust- it was probably originally larger, but the wind was picking it up in spurts- sat on the bright white snow, a grey scar on the landscape.  
  
Grillby looked around the area. He couldn’t see any footprints or belongings that might clue him into whose dust it was. How could this have happened? It might have been an accident. He needed to… He…. Grillby didn't actually believe that, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself.  
  
There was a human here, and they were killing monsters.  
  
Flickering more than the wind demanded, Grillby knelt and grabbed a handful of the dust. He didn't think it was Papyrus- it couldn't be-, but if by some small chance it was- Grillby dimmed- then he would regret not having any for the funeral. Since it wasn't, he was giving another family a chance to pay their respects.  
  
Shuddering, Grillby got to his feet. He needed to know for sure. He kept walking, going around the ice bridge, like always. It wouldn't do to weaken it. Monsters relied on it.  
  
He came across Gyftrot and encouraged them to make for town. They took some convincing, and left still muttering about decorations and rude kids.  
  
Grillby pressed on. He was starting to think he had been wrong, that the dust really was Papyrus. Despair spread through his body, numbing him and slowing his limbs. The effort of moving forward grew as he considered the possibilities.  
  
Papyrus was always going on about hunting humans, but it always devolved into wondering if they would be his friend after he captured them. Grillby wasn't sure how many times Papyrus had daydreamed aloud about meeting a human, engaging then in a battle of wits via puzzles. The story would take a twist there, though, becoming part buddy cop and part romance- unrequited, of course. Papyrus would indulge Grillby with a few kisses at that point. Grillby accepted them readily, even though he wasn't the least bit jealous of this theoretical human. His daydream was almost exactly the plot of one of Papyrus’s favorite MTT dramas.  
  
Unfortunately, the human didn't seem to want stay theoretical. Grillby swallowed and clutched the dust in his pocket.  
  
He came up on the next bridge, which was much shorter than the one by town. The side Grillby stood on was covered in metallic squares. Nearby, an oddly familiar box sat. This must be the puzzle, the one Papyrus had purchased from Doctor Alphys. It had been triggered, but had formed an oddly… homogeneous configuration that would merely allow anyone to come through.  
  
Grillby could see it, as if Papyrus was telling him one of his stories. Papyrus deployed his trap, sure that he would soon have the human as his captive. The trap failed, giving the human a path through to him. They attacked, and Papyrus, who wasn't a fighter, not really, ran. He was a gentle soul, under all his posturing. Grillby had seen it. He loved Papyrus for it.  
  
Grillby ran, too. He ran back through the forest, snow flying up around his feet. He raced to the dust pile, seeing in his mind as Papyrus tripped, and fell. The human, a nightmarish shadowy figure, advanced on him. He made bullets, but there was no killing intent in the bones. Not from his dear Papyrus.  
  
With a sob, he dropped to his knees next to the spot. It was even smaller now, stolen away from him by the wind while he pretended there was any other option.  
  
“Papyrus,” he whispered. Fiery tears flowed down his face to drip into the snow with a hiss.  
  
“GRILLBY?”  
  
Grillby looked up and spotted that familiar, beloved smile standing near the bridge into town. No wait, Papyrus was standing there, smiling at him. Grillby rubbed his eyes, clearing them. He didn't even care that his glasses were knocked askew. His pants were steadily getting wet from the snow, which stung a little. Running had knocked his tie off center, and his vest felt a little lose at the bottom. He might have lost a button. Grillby wouldn't have left his room in this state, let alone the bar.  
  
Not one bit of it mattered, as long as that was really Papyrus.  
  
Grillby shakily stood and walked over to the form. He set a hand on his arm and felt bone, hard and very real.  
  
“Papyrus,” he gasped and threw his arms around Papyrus’s neck.  
  
“GRILLBY?” Papyrus sounded even more confused, but he hugged Grillby in response, his arms around Grillby’s back. Grillby wasn't ready to answer him, so he brought their mouths together and kissed him. His flames licked around Papyrus's mouth, seeking, needing.  
  
Papyrus opened his mouth for him, conjuring his tongue. It tangled with the flames, twisting and wiggling, as though they were something he could actually catch. Grillby’s flames danced along the magic, and he marveled at its feel. He clutched at the back of Papyrus’s skull and his upper spine. Desperation gave the kiss an edge they had never shared before. Before now, their kisses had been snatched in the kitchen behind the bar, when Papyrus helped him carry out an order, or in Grillby’s room, watching MTT as they cuddled on the bed. Once, and only once, Grillby had braved waterfall so they could sit beneath the stars. What he wanted now was one of those calm kisses, preferably safe inside.  
  
“My place,” He panted, as soon as the kiss ended. “I mean, come back to the bar with me. There's a-”  
  
“THERE'S A HUMAN! IT'S REALLY HAPPENING!” Papyrus grinned and gave Grillby a squeeze. “I’VE BEEN THROWING MY BEST PUZZLES AT THEM, BUT THEY ARE CLEVER.” He said it as though he was frustrated, but he was clearly delighted. “I’M PRETTY SURE THEY’RE ALREADY MADLY IN LOVE WITH ME- DON’T WORRY, I WOULD NEVER RETURN THEIR FEELINGS.” He kissed Grillby again, but only for a moment before the urge to keep talking took hold. He pulled back, grinning. “IT'S GOING JUST HOW I IMAGINED IT WOULD!”  
  
“That’s… It's not safe!” Grillby stepped back from Papyrus, taking his hand and pulling him towards the bridge. Papyrus came, telling Grillby about his encounters with the human so rapidly that Grillby couldn't follow them. He just needed to get Papyrus inside. The town was safe. They wouldn't be so brazen as to attack them there. They were over the bridge, and so close, now.  
  
Papyrus stopped, forcing Grillby to jerk to a stop, as well. Grillby looked back. Papyrus had a determined look on his skull. Grillby felt a matching despair rise in him to meet it. Papyrus was positively immovable when he got that look.  
  
“Papyrus, please,” Grillby tugged his hand.  
  
“I CAN'T. I FINALLY HAVE A CHANCE TO CAPTURE A HUMAN! I PROMISED THEM I'D HAVE ANOTHER TRAP FOR THEM, AND IT'S MY BEST ONE YET!” He gestured back at the bridge. “I JUST FINISHED INSTALLING THE CANON.”  
  
“It isn't safe. It's- they're killing monsters.” Grillby protested. His hand went for the dust in his pocket. He had no idea who it belonged to.  
  
“ALL THE MORE REASON I NEED TO STOP THEM!” Papyrus looked astonished. “THEY’RE JUST SCARED. YES, ONCE I HAVE THEM, I CAN SURELY CONVINCE THEM TO STOP.”  
  
“Convince them…?” Grillby was flabbergasted. “As persuasive as I find you, humans are not like monsters.”  
  
“NONETHELESS, I HAVE TO TRY. MONSTER OR HUMAN, IT DOESN'T MATTER. EVERYONE CAN IMPROVE THEMSELVES IF THEY PUT THEIR MIND TO IT.” He was still smiling, confidant and strong. Grillby’s soul swelled. What a good, kind, handsome skeleton he had fallen in love with.  
  
“Be… be careful, at least.” Grillby sagged. He knew there was nothing he could say to change Papyrus's mind.  
  
“OF COURSE!” Papyrus kisses him again, this time chaste and gentle. Then he turned Grillby by his shoulders so he was facing town. “AND SANS WILL BE WITH ME. HEAD ON BACK. HE'LL WANT TO COME BY AFTER, AND I’LL COME WITH HIM.”  
  
“Yeah... I’ll keep the place warm for you,” Grillby said and took a step forward. Papyrus’s hands left his shoulders, and he felt the sharp bite of loss. After walking a little longer, Grillby  couldn’t help himself. He turned and watched Papyrus walk away.

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is where I: take requests, post streams, chit chat, do teasers, try out new fics, reblog a lot of skeleton porn, pimp all my favorite fics


End file.
